Chapter Forty-Nine: Driving Mountains and Chasing Dragons

Gradually, another cluster of mist began to form. Yet this mist was imperceptible to ordinary mortal eyes, as if it resided in another realm altogether.

Master Hu had once told Wang Zhenling that the spiritual vein of Blackwater Pond was one of the finest in the counties surrounding Danling, and his words were no exaggeration. Unlike the flat lands of other villages in Danling County, Dafan Village was marked by undulating hills, with abundant mountains and scarce fields—its population was accordingly sparse. However, this area was actually the remnant range of the Boundless Mountain, extending its spiritual vein here. Though the Blackwater Pond’s spiritual vein could not rival the grand and mighty veins within Boundless Mountain itself, among lesser ghosts and spirits, it was considered quite exceptional.

Thus, the speed at which spiritual energy gathered here was notably swift. In just a few days, the slopes surrounding this place were shrouded in clouds and mist. Then, one night, a sudden thunderclap resounded, shaking the tiles of homes across ten miles.

A natural spiritual vein, without the intervention of ghosts, spirits, or skilled cultivators, rarely forms a sanctuary on its own. Only when a ghost or spirit takes residence, or a cultivator opens the space by force, can such a site become a sanctuary, with its powers governed and harnessed.

That night, Wang Zhenling observed the spiritual energy nearly fully gathered. With its aid, he shaped it into a sanctuary. Yet, no matter the method, such a sanctuary was inherently illusory, more dreamlike than real. Otherwise, the mighty Blackwater Society deity would never have been vanquished so easily by Wang Zhenling.

The next day, those who looked upon the hillside saw only a thin veil of mist; the dense fog that had once enveloped the peak had vanished without a trace.

What the naked eye could not perceive was that within the artificial treasure cavity on that slope, a sanctuary had already taken shape. At this moment, the sanctuary was small—barely a yard across—with only a palm-sized spiritual pool at its heart, from which white mist endlessly billowed, sustaining the sanctuary.

As the sanctuary manifested, all the power of the spiritual vein converged into the sanctuary’s pool, no longer dispersing. Slowly, the pool and sanctuary would expand, and given time, they could restore the Blackwater Pond sanctuary to its former glory.

Yet, a sanctuary differs from a cave-dwelling. The latter is of far higher rank, allowing even the physical body to enter, while a sanctuary is more like a soap bubble, invisible to mortal eyes and impossible to enter physically.

Fortunately, the soul can enter.

Within the sanctuary’s spiritual pool, the water was now free of impurities, clear and pristine. Still, it could not rival the crystal clarity of the spiritual water within the Cave of Heaven.

“Yes, the purity of the water in that spiritual pool must be due to the cleansing power of the Celestial Lotus... Still, although the quality of my spiritual water is slightly inferior, it should suffice.”

Wang Zhenling felt satisfied. Once enough spiritual water accumulated here, he could return to the Cave of Heaven. There were many treasures hidden there, along with secrets waiting for him to uncover.

The sanctuary, barely a yard wide, was a cramped space. But for the soul, size meant little; there was no sense of confinement. The tiny spiritual pool, no bigger than a bowl, bubbled ceaselessly, gradually expanding, though imperceptibly to the naked eye.

Observing this, Wang Zhenling suddenly gained insight: Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows Nature. Within the body, forging the divine chamber was akin to opening a sanctuary within a treasure cavity. Yet, the universe is boundless, while the human body is finite. The world’s spiritual veins are many, with sanctuaries opened wherever treasure cavities are found—even spiritual realms or cave-dwellings may be established.

But the human body is limited, able only to open a divine chamber within the sea of consciousness and strengthen the soul. Then, in each vital point, further chambers are established to nurture a hundred spirits. Ultimately, when these spirits flourish, they ascend to the heavenly palace—the soul’s return, the merging of winds, the emperor’s path.

Since the rise of inner alchemy, this method of cultivation has waned.

“Alas, the water in this spiritual pool is likely only enough for a single cup,” Wang Zhenling sighed. It would scarcely suffice.

Such concerns could wait. Now was the time to enjoy the spoils of victory.

Though the physical body could not touch this spiritual water, the soul could absorb it, drawing in the spiritual energy as one breathes in the radiance of sun and moon, nourishing and strengthening the soul.

“Cultivating here is no slower than in the village shrine. It’s no wonder that practitioners and spirits alike vie for spiritual veins...”

Yet, even so, this minor spiritual vein was still inferior to the county court’s.

Wang Zhenling surmised that the county court was akin to a vast, inexhaustible spiritual vein.

“How I wish to experience it firsthand. The village shrine’s fortune is already so grand, but what of the true county court? And what about the prefectural seat, or even the imperial court—how immense must their fortunes be?”

He could not help but marvel.

Calculating the amount of spiritual water needed for a round trip, he realized that with the scale of this spiritual vein, it would take eight to ten years to accumulate enough.

How could Wang Zhenling afford to wait so long?

“It seems the energy required to traverse worlds far exceeds my imagination!”

He felt a twinge of frustration, though he had anticipated as much.

Crossing into another world was never easy. If the cost were not immense, it would indeed be uncanny.

Resolved, Wang Zhenling’s gaze hardened. “It appears I must forcibly extract spiritual energy from the vein, though this will greatly harm it.”

But he could not worry about such consequences now.

Extracting spiritual energy from the earth’s vein would be much easier with the right magical tool, but Wang Zhenling possessed none, nor was he yet qualified to forge one.

However, within the Primordial Tiger-Dragon Grand Elixir Thunder Method, there existed a technique for drawing spiritual energy from the earth’s vein. Yet such methods were damaging, harmful to the harmony of heaven and earth, and so rarely employed.

Now, Wang Zhenling had no choice.

This secret method was known as Mountain-Chasing Thunder. On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head—this dragon is the earth’s vein.

With thunder magic, the earth’s vein is stirred, as if the earth-dragon is chased forth—hence the name.

And though autumn and winter brought no thunder, Mountain-Chasing Thunder used the power of fire and thunder to drive the mountain and chase the dragon.